I’m not one for hopeless grinding/farming. The only way I managed to get 10 Primal Mights together was because they became two epic axes for the lovely Droonda, the wife’s Shaman. Yeah, they are a little fast for an Enhancement Shaman, but they’re epic, and they look good, double back mounted one-handers, and I can make them on my own through my own efforts. I don’t want to need 9 others to farm badges, or gear, with, or 24 others to farm nexus crystals or hearts of darkness for me.

(A screeching backpedal here. I did require 40 badges to get 4 Primal Nethers. When a Primal Nether drops in an instance, it ain’t going to the Alchemist/Herbalist. Know what I mean? And the freaking things were soulbound. They went to the bank of a crafter, of course. Don’t need it for anything? Bank it and sell that axe you’ll make with it for 2,000 in a week. Grats to you and your choice of craft. I tapped into my badges savings, from my life as a Karazhan raider, and the Shattered Sun Offense Supplies actually manage to generate a badge a month or so, so we got the Primal Nethers I needed to craft the two axes. Yeah, I could have bought them now too. See below re: money.)

I’ve gotten two characters to Exalted with the Shattered Sun Offensive, and Lord, yeah, the money’s good, but money isn’t fun. The Tabard is nice. The shields are okay, and I sure wish I’d had access to them before getting Exalted with the Shatar for my Warrior’s shield, or turning in badges for my Shaman’s. The pendants are nice, but who’s exalted with Aldor? Oh, sure, the farmers are. It’s not something that winds up happening unlike, kinda, Cenarian (Stormsoul) or Shatar (Msaker). Msaker actually “farmed” instance runs in order to get the shield to better tank with. (He’s now Fury.)

Stormsoul’s now close to Exalted with the Shattered Sun, because while money might not be “fun” it does pay for things like mounts (Cenarian Hippogriff) and recipes (like epic axe patterns) and the odd piece of gear, and training. Money might not buy me love, but it’s got it’s uses.

So, I don’t need to farm for materials at the moment. I’m not raiding or instancing, so no need to farm mats for pots. I’ve got my antlers, Droonda’s got her axes, so no immediate need for mats or honor for gear.

So what’s a player to do? Level a lockpicker of course. Level 27 and speeding along. “Speeding” meaning I’m doing other things as well. It’s not just all about him. But when the wife retires, the rogue comes out to play.

Now I’ll admit, previous farming activity that’s helping him out has been getting the Crusader enchant recipe that got put on his level 20 blue boe that we got somewhere using Orbs we got from the two of us running live side Stratholm. Another round of farming will be to get another copy of the Crusader recipe for my wife’s Enchanter, and get her Enchanter to 300 of course, and then get a few more Orbs, and then she’ll be able to put Crusader on my soulbound quest rewards like the Sword of Omen and Vanquisher’s blade. Soon. :) It’s quite something to have 58 Strength boosted to 158 when Crusader procs. The self-healing was what I got it for. Less down time.

Thinking about it, I am just blown away by all the things I have yet to get done in this game.*

Oh yeah, I’ve also applied to my old guild. Do I even have time to raid/instance??

*And not to forget getting our two Deathknights to Northrend for their meeting with Destiny.